New French culture channel goes live
FEBRUARY 1, 2021 11.56 EUROPE/LONDON BY JULIAN CLOVER

Culturebox, the new French public service channel, goes live on Monday evening.

Launched by France Télévisions as a stop-gap until the reopening of the country’s cultural venues, Culturebox claims to be “the biggest stage in France”.

Supported by the ministry of culture, it has a budget of €5 million. It will draw on a library of some 500 shows and a supplement of 24 new recordings.

There will also be a nightly magazine show presented by Daphné Bürki and Raphäl Yem (pictured).

But its arrival means bad news for viewers of France 4 and FranceInfo on DTT; the transmissions are returning to standard definition in order to accommodate the new channel.